This much travelled Kolkattan is a very obvious presence in the lobby of the Planet Hollywood. Greeting guests and lending his ear to their worries he seems like a man in charge, a man at ease with himself. The rather indifferent tourist season has certainly increased the pressure on senior executives in the business, but Anand has found a balance.
Like many executives in the hospitality industry he likes to cook. He does this with relish and his son enjoys his creations. Like many Bengalis he enjoys his fish though he seems quite partial to sashimi. A good book is certainly food for the brain. A man of rather eclectic tastes he likes reading geo-political non-fiction and last read a book by Captain (retired) K Niranjan – Dispute over South China Sea: Threat to Asian Solidarity.
If that sounds a bit heavy his taste in music runs towards Arijit Singh though Kishore Kumar and the Carpenters remain an all time favourite. He is also exposed to One Republic every day since his son is a huge fan of that band. He makes it a point to watch movies in the local cinemas because he is a huge fan of the whole experience. He recently watched Deadpool and amongst his list of favourite actors are Clint Eastwood, Leonardo Di Caprio, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.
Given the nature of the beast that is the hospitality industry, he likes to sometimes get away from it all and just relax. California is a favourite thanks to its great weather, great wines, food and yes the people. Interestingly, Anand has learned to fly aircrafts and on his to do list is a visit to a place in Russia where one is allowed to take a sortie in a Mig 29. He intends to do this in the near future. Another of his hobbies is an interest in military science.
As a man who counts Swami Vivekananda as an inspiration he counts meeting Mother Theresa as something very pleasant from his childhood. He had won a recitation competition in school and she blessed him as he touched her feet.
As someone who likes to spend most of his time with his family, he enjoys staying in Goa because Goa he believes is the only State where there is a general concern, awareness and empowerment about nature and protection of the natural resources. He hoped Goa would remain that way without jeopardizing and monetizing Mother Nature.
